7 Best Payment Gateways in the UK in 2024

For Alternative Payment Methods (APM) and other fee types, please refer to the PayPal Merchants Fees page.

💡 Tip: Use PayPal Fee Calculator to estimate PayPal payment processing fees.

PayPal Pros and Cons

5. Worldpay

Worldpay, now known as "Worldpay from FIS," following its acquisition by the Fortune 500 company FIS, is a global payment provider with over 30 years of experience prioritising simplicity and customer-centricity.

Worldpay’s solutions cater to platforms, businesses, and enterprises. It has facilitated over 130 million transactions for more than a million merchants across the globe. 

Although operated worldwide, it specialises in being a payment gateway provider in the United Kingdom.

Worldpay also provides dedicated support for UK territory.

Worldpay Top Features

• 126 currencies
• Next-day business settlement
• Dashboard to manage settlements
• Insights into customer spending patterns 
• Access to various business tools
• “Worldpay Ecommerce” design for online checkout experience 
• Hosted payment page 
• Point-of-sale card machines
• “Worldpay Rewards,” offering discounts feature at various UK retailers, both in physical stores and online.
• 24/7/365 contact centre customer service 
• PCI DSS compliance 

Worldpay Accepted Payment Methods

Worldpay accepts over 300 payment methods. However, note that you may want to contact Worldpay for more details regarding the options. 

• Credit and debit cards - Visa, Mastercard®, American Express, Discover, and Diners
• Digital Wallets - Apple Pay, Google Pay 
• Built-in Pay By Link 
• Virtual Terminal 

Worldpay Key Usage Fees

Worldpay primarily offers tailored pricing plans depending on business needs. However, you can refer to the standard pricing listed below as a reference.

💡 Tip: You can use this indicative online pricing quote as a starter and contact Worldpay sales to request more information tailored to your business model.

Worldpay Pros and Cons

6. Opayo

Opayo, formerly Sage Pay, is a payment solution provider owned by the financial services firm “Elavon,” a subsidiary of US Bancorp. It is in the UK, other European countries, and North America.

Opayo is experienced in serving the airlines, hospitality, restaurants, transport, and retail sectors. They operate in 36 countries, serving over 2 million customers and processing 6.6 billion transactions.

Opayo Top Features

• Support 100+currencies 
• Accept payment online, over the phone, or in person
• Payment links feature
• Hosted payment page
• Tailored payments process
• Recurring payment feature
• Support multi-currency conversion
• Integration with top ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, Woocommerce, Magento, Salesforce, and more
• Virtual terminal available
• APIs
• 24/7 telephone support
• PCI DSS compliance 

Opayo Accepted Payment Methods

• Cards - All major cards
• PayPal
• Pay By Link 

Opayo Key Usage Fees

💡 Tip: Please refer to the Opayo Pricing Plan page for full details

Opayo Pros and Cons 

7. Stripe

The last one on our list is Stripe, another well-known business choice. It provides integrated payment solutions for online and in-person transactions, subscription services, marketplaces, and more. 

Beyond payments, Stripe also offers services like invoicing, card issuance, and expense management.

Stripe global offices manage hundreds of billions of dollars every year.

Stripe Top Features

• Accepting payments digitally and face-to-face globally
• Built-in conversion optimisations, with dynamic payment methods and localised messages based on customer location and local currency, plus automatic input field adjustment. No custom logic is needed.
• 100+ payment methods
• One-click checkout with Link
• Payment links, which enable merchants to accept payment even without a website 
• Access over 450 platforms and extensions to streamline and automate nearly all manual tasks
• API and SDK
• PCI DSS compliance 

Stripe Accepted Payment Methods

• Credit and debit cards - Visa, Mastercard®, American Express, JCB, Discover, Diners, Maestro, UnionPay
• Digital wallet - Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay
• International cards
• Buy Now Pay Later - Afterpay
• Local payment methods - Bancontact, Giroplay, SEPA payments, and more

Stripe Key Usage Fees

Please refer to the Stripe fees page for full details.

Stripe also offers a customizable pricing package for businesses with high transactions. Fill in your information on the Stripe Sales Page to get in touch with the sales support team. 

💡 Tip: Use this Stripe Fee Calculator to estimate the fees you may need to pay when accepting payment with Stripe.

Stripe Pros and Cons 

What Matters in a Payment Gateway Provider?

To explain how we came up with the recommendation, let's see an overview of the primary things to consider when picking a payment gateway.

Security

Your customers' financial and personal data requires the highest level of security. A breach not only results in operational interruptions but also brings legal complications, financial challenges, and, most critically, loss of trust.

Here are important security considerations for secure payment: 

• Solid Encryption - Encryption employs algorithms to convert data into a coded format only authorised parties can decode. 
• Authentication - Authentication is the process of confirming the identities of individuals making payments. This can involve methods like passwords, PINs, or advanced biometric solutions.
• Proactive fraud prevention - Real-time transaction monitoring and instant alerts to detect and respond to any suspicious activities.
• Compliance with PCI DSS - Ensure strict compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a comprehensive standard that governs the secure handling of credit card data from major card brands.

Here are some questions you could ask providers to get an idea of their security measures

• How do you protect my and my customer’s data? 
• How do you monitor and prevent fraud and cyberattacks?
• How do you handle data breaches? What policies and procedures do you have in place?

💡 Tip: For more information, explore this list of top security to protect your ecommerce website.

A Great UX/UI

Ecommerce faces a significant issue of 70% shopping cart abandonment, partly attributed to the complicated checkout process.

That's why it's important for customers to have an easy and user-friendly payment experience with just a few clicks and no distractions.

Likewise, an administrative panel that allows you to easily manage transactions, refunds, reports, and other features matters to you. 

Here are questions you can ask providers to understand their UX/UI:

• Which choices and features are available for modifying the appearance and user experience of the payment page?
• Does the payment page work well on different devices, browsers, and screen sizes? 
• What's included in the admin dashboard?

💡 Tip: Check out these effective strategies for enhancing conversion rates in the checkout process.

Integration Capability 

Another essential factor to consider is how well a payment gateway works with your existing systems, like your website, online store, CRM, and other ecommerce platforms.

Common integration methods include

• API (Application Programming Interface) - API is a set of protocols that enables different software programs to exchange data with your platform. Simply put, a developer can utilise different APIs to simplify their program. These APIs handle user requests, send them to the service provider, and then deliver the service provider's results to the intended user.
• SDK (Software Development Kit) - Think of SDK as a toolbox for developers, comprising code libraries and such. Developers can use this toolbox to build apps for specific systems, in this case, to customise how the payment gateway works.
• Documentation - Documentation is a guide that explains how to use the payment gateway's tools, like the API and SDK.
• Technical Help - If you run into any technical problems, it's crucial that the payment gateway provider has a support team available to assist you in fixing those issues.

Here are some questions you could ask providers to understand how well their products can integrate with your system

• Which programming languages, frameworks, and tools do you support for integrating your payment gateway?
• How do you handle updates, upgrades, or changes to your payment gateway or its features?

Pricing Model

The most common payment gateway pricing models in the UK are a subscription plan and a pay-as-you-go plan. However, both plans typically come with transaction fees, which are calculated for each and every transaction.

Subscription plans may offer lower transaction fees, but this comes at the cost of having to pay a monthly fee. Conversely, pay-as-you-go models usually don’t collect monthly fees, but you might pay more per transaction.

To make the right choice for your business, consider your sales volume, transaction size, and growth expectations. 

As a general rule, subscription plans are better for those with high and consistent sales, while pay-as-you-go suits businesses with low volume or irregular sales.

Factor in other fees as well. This includes setup fees, chargeback fees, refund fees, international payment fees, card processing fees, add-on service fees, and all other possible hidden fees. 

Our suggestion is to request a quote and get in touch with customer support to address any questions you may have. 

Such questions could relate to the breakdown of fees, how fees are applied, whether there are volume discounts or tiered pricing, and how the eligibility criteria work. Ultimately, these fees should not significantly impact your profitability in the long run.

Examples of questions you could ask are:

• What services are included in the monthly fees?
• Are there setup, cancellation, or early termination fees, and when do they apply?
• How are fees handled for international transactions?
• Do you charge any fees for your value-added service fees, such as fraud prevention, data security, reporting, analytics, or customer support? 
• How will you invoice me for the fees and charges? 

💡 Tip: If you handle a large number of transactions, consider contacting potential service providers to inquire about volume discounts.

Reliable Support 

It's a reality in business that you will run into problems. 

When it comes to payment processing, expect issues like compatibility problems, operational glitches, disputes, refunds, and unexpected fees.

A reliable payment service provider should offer a support team that can promptly address and resolve those issues. They should also have good availability and flexibility in terms of contact channels, such as phone, email, and live chat.

Here are some questions you could ask providers to assess potential problems and inquire about their support, such as 

• How do you ensure the reliability and performance of your service? 
• What is your uptime guarantee?
• What methods of contact are available? 
• What is your customer support’s average response time?

Conclusion

To sum it up, we've covered the top 6 payment gateway in the UK, including Revolut, PayPal, Worldpay, Opayo, and Stripe.

Apart from considering security, user experience, compatibility, pricing, and customer service, it’s crucial to cater to popular UK payment methods like card payments, especially Visa and Mastercard®. 

Whether you prioritise integration capability, pricing flexibility, or reliable support, we hope this article helps you find a solution that suits your needs and gets you ready to position your business to thrive in the UK ecommerce market!